What’s In a Name? 3 Ways to Name Your New Practice

Not surprisingly, many people come up with their business idea well before naming their new venture. Naming your new business or professional practice comes with a lot of hand wringing and head scratching. After all, your new business name has to sound professional, be catchy and stand the test of time. It’s a lot to consider!

Here are three ways to name your startup:

1. Use your own name and add your profession afterwards, e.g. Angela Pereira Kinesiology, Pereira Performance Training, Pereira Aquatic Rehabilitation …

2. Find a term that relates to the transformation you want to help your clients achieve, e.g. Fitness First, Strong Girls, Healthy Habits, Training Plus …

3. Find a word whose meaning will speak to your clients and potential clients, e.g. Phil Knight’s ‘Nike’ name for the Greek goddess of victory

Sounds easy, right? Well, in case you need a bit more help, check out even more support below.

Here are three more tips for finding a business name that will resonate with you, but, more importantly, your future clients:

1. Brainstorm your company name by writing about what your company represents. This could take the form of a mind map like this:

2. Then you might want to experiment with possible names like this:

3. Narrow down your options to your three favourite and ask others which one is their favourite. Seek out people who you know will be honest, candid and interested in your success. This could be a parent or grandparent, an aunt or uncle, a sibling, a mate, a colleague or a mentor. Ask what possible name resonates with them and why. They might be a good source of inspiration if you have a small pile of ideas, but none of them is really ‘the one’ yet.

And a bonus option!

4. Look to history or fiction for an idea. Is there a book title, maybe a movie, a character or a favourite story that inspires you? Can you create a variation on a theme and make it your own? Possibly try a twist on a famous line that captures your idea?

Don't forget to research!

Once you have decided on a name, go to a web domain provider like Namecheap.com or GoDaddy.com to see if your new business name is available as a domain. BUT! Don’t buy a domain until you’ve checked out ALL the socials. Make sure the name you like is not already in use in these forums. 

Log into Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat to see if someone else is using ‘your’ name. If so, can you think of a creative way to change your name just slightly and still keep true to your original idea? There may be variations that suit you just fine - or even better!

Lastly, check copyright and patent agencies in Canada to make sure that you can use the name you want. The worst thing would be to start getting your new business name out there and then realizing that someone else has already registered what you want to use and protected it for themselves!

Here’s a great resource to check out: https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/home

Ok, you’re ready. You’ve done ALL your homework. Your name is available! Now go ahead, buy your new domain, secure each of your social media handles and get cracking to develop and launch your new business!